Sober October
The last month has been a whirlwind. After announcing the changes to my work, I have met so many interesting people, who have all been supportive of this initiative.
The Jersey Evening Post have even given me a monthly space so that I can reach a wider audience, which I am grateful for. I hope that it makes a difference and helps people who need to see this message to make a positive change.
The first article was about Sober October, ditch the booze for 31 days whilst raising money for charity.
My Why?
For those that may be new to my blog, I gave up alcohol January last year as I felt like it wasn’t serving me any more. I was drinking too much, too often and I knew that I needed to stop. I got bored of blacking out, having the fear and feeling sick with a hangover.
The Challenge
When I first told people that I was taking on the challenge, no one, including myself, thought that I could last longer than 2 weeks, let alone 1 year. This is why I thought it would be a great way to raise money for charity. This was a real challenge that people could get behind. The sponsorship money came rolling in thick and fast and once I’d raised my first £500, I couldn’t turn back. This was going to hold me accountable and ensure that I stuck to the challenge until the end.
By the end of the year I’d raised over £15,000 for Friends of Jersey Oncology and by this point I didn’t want to go back to drinking; it had genuinely changed my life for the better. Would I have abstained for so long and got to see the true benefits that a long break from alcohol has on your life, without the challenge and raising money for charity? I don’t believe I would have and I would have missed out.
The First Month
The first month was the hardest, not only are you detoxing, but habits are hard to break and I struggled with social anxiety. We have all conditioned ourselves to think that we need a drink to ‘let go’ and getting past that initial fear can be difficult, taking time to get used to. I didn’t enjoy going out at first, but with practice, I started letting go more and more naturally, to the point where now I am the first and last on the dance floor again (just like drunk Jo, but with better dance moves). I often get bought alcoholic drinks from people who do not know me, as they think that I must be at least a couple of drinks in to be dancing around like a free spirit! It takes about 6 months to change a habit; it was at this milestone when I really started to see the positive change in myself when out socializing.
Local Opinion
Whilst I have learnt to not care so much about what others think, the latest Opinions and Lifestyle Survey tells a telling tale that we are drinking more than ever in Jersey post Lockdown. When you look at the recommended limits, it’s easy to see why. One drink for me always led on to more and it is so easy to creep into an unhealthy territory.
Peer Pressure
It can be hard to take a break from alcohol, even if you feel like you need it. Peer pressure is real and it’s easier to give in sometimes than to have to justify yourself (over and over again). Alcohol is so engrained in our culture, ‘celebrating?’ have a drink, ‘commiserating?’ have a drink, so it can be hard to get away from it, without feeling like you have to complete another month of lockdown. This is where a charity challenge really comes in handy. No one is going to push you to do something when it might risk funds going to charity. It gives you a break from the 20 questions and time to work out what you want to do moving forward, without the dreaded peer pressure getting in the way.
Happier Hour
So much of socializing with the workplace used to be alcohol related. I used to think that you needed a happy hour at the end of the week to socialize with your team. Workplaces are starting to look at what a ‘Happier Hour’ might look like. Ditching the booze in favour of a memorable experience, one that they will not regret or forget in a hurry. This fundraising campaign would be a fantastic team initiative; with the benefit of raising much needed funds to help a local charity whilst potentially delivering health benefits to everyone who participates, which is a Corporate win-win if you ask me!
Benefits - or side effects
Tips
Stop looking at this as something you are ‘giving up’, change the language that you use, so that you are ‘gaining’ a healthier, more enriching life. It will help to change it to a positive experience, rather than a negative one.
Who ever said that you needed to drink alcohol to let go and have fun? Go back in time to when you were a kid and you used to stay up all night being silly and having a laugh with friends. Well, alcohol wasn’t involved then, so be open minded, let go and be patient with yourself, it will take time for you to feel comfortable as we have all been conditioned to think that we need alcohol to be this way. Think again!
Find out what your alcohol free drink of choice is and make sure to stock up. There is so much to choose from now, so have fun trying everything out. If you do not have an alcohol free drink at arms reach, then tonic water with some lime in a nice glass always does the trick for me. Refreshing and could be mistaken for a gin and tonic.
If you use alcohol to relax, then why not give some of these a try? Take a walk in nature to wind down after a long day, take time to cook a wholesome meal, dance around the kitchen and sing out loud to your favourite songs, have a nice hot bath with essential oils, meditate, stretch, read a good book. You might say that you do not have time, but how much time is realistically wasted sitting with a bottle of wine in front of the television?
If you stop drinking, you will be in good company. Sober Celebrities include Tom Hardy, Bradley Cooper, Calvin Harris, Gerald Butler - ok I should probably stop, this is starting to look like my crush list now, but the point is they are successful, cool and good looking – sober is sexy. Here’s a few more, which might inspire you.
Why not get a group of you together to complete the challenge? OK, they might not look like the celeb squad above, but you will have a support group and you can all experience sober socializing at the same time.
My next Sober Session is on the 15th October, but tickets have now sold out. I will update you as soon as i have details for the next Session, which will be in November, just incase you are still alcohol free and fancy a night out out without the alcohol.
Sips
Some of my favourite alcohol free sips, just to get you started.
If you are planning on taking on the challenge and you are in Jersey, then make sure to visit Macmillan Jersey’s website to set up a sponsorship page >